Tasteless
by buseojin
Summary: She realized that their relationship was over once she could no longer taste the flavor in his cooking, so they parted ways. Unfortunately fate wasn't keen on letting them stay apart.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello, this is buseojin. It has been years since I last wrote fanfiction but lately I have been so in love with Shokugeki no Soma that I finally decided to try writing again. I hope that everyone will enjoy this story!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Shokugeki no Soma or any of its characters

* * *

" _ **It occurred to me in the tranquility of last night**_

 _ **That gathering wilted petals won't make them alright**_

 _ **It never grew to a great size, though it was already dead to my eyes**_

 _ **Saying we finished a long time ago is too polite"**_

\- Megurine Luka, "Just Be Friends"

* * *

Golden eyes stared longingly at the platinum band resting in the palm of his hand. The precious Tiffany diamonds that adorned it had shined brightly in the moonlight on the night he slipped the ring onto her slender finger, but now they had lost their luster despite how she took immaculate care of the ring ever since she received it. The metal was cold to the touch, even when he wrapped his fingers around the ring, squeezing it tightly as if he would still be able to feel the warmth of her hands if he clutched the ring hard enough.

Now that she was no longer wearing the ring, Yukihira Sōma finally came to terms with what he should have saw coming months ago: Nakiri Erina was no longer his.

* * *

At the age of 25, Nakiri Erina still enjoyed reading shoujo manga and watching romantic shows online.

Despite taste-testing the finest dishes created by some of the most renowned chefs around the world on an almost every day basis, handling all the affairs of Tōtsuki , the most prestigious culinary academy in all of Japan, and working at her two _Lumiere_ restaurant branches in Kyoto and London, she always found time to curl up in bed with the newest release of a manga series that the female students at Tōtsuki were talking about, or with her iPad to watch the latest episode of a television series that she was following. However, when anyone asked her for her opinion regarding what she had read or watched, Erina would always offer the same response:

"Hmph! I suppose they'd have to create drama like that to keep the audience interested, but it's simply too unrealistic! Over hundreds of missed calls and unanswered texts just because of a breakup? Perhaps the creators should think of what _normal_ people would do in situations like that!"

It seemed that the creators did indeed take into account how normal people would react, because when Erina woke up at 7:30 AM in her bedroom at the Nakiri estate, she found dozens of frantic text messages and missed calls from Alice, and perhaps five times more from Hisako (However, Erina suspected that Alice was seeking her for gossip rather than concern for her wellbeing). She received messages from other people as well; Megumi, Ikumi, Takumi and Ryoko had sent her texts sending her their condolences, Yuki sent one asking her a series of questions about what had happened (which Erina promptly ignored because she was in no mood to discuss it with anyone), Ryo had sent one asking her to kindly answer the phone before Alice exploded with frustration, and even the aloof Akira sent her a simple "Sorry".

Perhaps Erina should have been grateful that her friends were kind and cared enough about her for them to end messages her way despite not having seen each other for months, but Erina couldn't help but feel frustrated by how everyone from their friend group seemed to have heard the news overnight. Of course she didn't suspect that _he_ told them; they had kept details of their relationship on the low, for the first part (though there was a time she had drunkenly confessed their bedroom habits to Alice). She knew, for a fact, that there had been a paparazzo lurking outside last night when she left the penthouse apartment that _they_ shared holding onto nothing but a small suitcase. Normally, she would have stopped, chastised him and have all his materials confiscated, but she was not herself at that time. She was emotional and vulnerable and scared, and she wanted nothing but to be far, far away from him.

She had arrived at the Nakiri estate without warning, and although Senzaemon was surprised and confused to see his dearest granddaughter there, cold with big, fat tears running down her cheeks, he didn't ask her any questions and instead urged her to take a hot bath and get to bed. Erina was grateful that her grandfather didn't press her for any answers. Although he was fierce, Senzaemon was gentle and considerate, especially towards Erina. She suspected that he was particularly attentive to her needs due to his regret that he had not caught onto Azami's strict "training" sooner, though she didn't hold Senzaemon accountable for anything that had happened back then.

Though Erina would have liked to do nothing more than to stay in bed and feel sorry for herself, she had learned since long ago that moping about would only make her feel worse about her predicament. Besides, she had some explaining to do, even if Senzaemon didn't ask her anything about why she showed up on his doorstep the night before. The Nakiri heiress slipped out of bed, wincing slightly when her bare feet touched the cool marble floor. The flooring should have been replaced with carpeting years ago, but the renovation had been halted since she moved out of the Nakiri estate years ago. Perhaps she should request that the renovations for her room start again.

Erina found Senzaemon in the dining room, enjoying a traditional Japanese breakfast of Gohan, pickled vegetables, and steamed salted fish. The elderly man noticed her the moment she entered the room, despite the lack of sound her footsteps made on the wooden floor. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and gestured to the empty seat across from her, telling her to sit.

"Good morning, Grandfather," Erina said hesitantly as she settled down into the dining chair. She set her hands on the table in front of her. "About last night…"

"Erina," Senzaemon cut her off. "I already know."

Erina looked up, startled. "What?"

Senzaemon reached to the seat next to him and pulled up a well-read newspaper, which he handed to her. Erina's heart sank when she read the headline, plastered in big bold black letters on the front page with the picture that the paparazzo had taken right beneath it.

 **NAKIRI HEIRESS SPLITS WITH LONGTIME BEAU**

She tightly gripped the newspaper, her fingers pressing so hard into the pages that the cheap ink rubbed off onto her fingers. Senzaemon studied her solemn expression before sighing.

"I was hoping that you would tell me that it was a misunderstanding, but I see now that at least the headline is true," he said. "I always wanted you to be happy, so I was pleased when you got engaged to Yukihira Sōma last year, because I knew you were genuinely happy when he was by your side. But yesterday I saw you crying the same way you used to cry when Azami was still here, and I can only surmise that Yukihira-kun is the cause of those tears. What happened, Erina? What changed since last year?"

Erina stared blankly at the newspaper article. What had changed, indeed? She and Sōma started dating as third years in high school, which did not come as a surprise to anyone who knew them because they all thought that the relationship between the headmistress and first seat of Tōtsuki were meant to be. They had managed to sustain their relationship for years. Sure, they were always busy- Erina with managing Tōtsuki and her restaurants and Sōma with his _Yukihira_ diner- but somehow their feelings didn't fade away. If anything, Erina felt like she only loved him more during the few times that she did get to see him, and when they finally moved into their penthouse together, she was practically drowning in happiness. They were finally in the same place, not making plans to meet each other all around the world, and he could finally pick her up after work every night and drive her home in his old BMW. On Sundays, they would go on dates or conduct their own mini Shokugekis, whichever they felt like doing at the time.

It felt like bliss, and that was why when Sōma proposed to her, she said yes because she thought that their blissful life would stay the same.

Unfortunately, happiness does not come without a fair share of problems. They started fighting more frequently; sure, they had their disagreements every now and then before, but they started having full on _arguments._ They didn't fight about the important things, but rather petty matters like who left the remote on the kitchen counter. It began to feel like things could not be complacent for even a few days before they'd have another heated argument.

The things that they once found endearing were now frustrating, like how Sōma would collapse into their bed in the dead of night while still wearing his oily diner chef uniform, or how Erina would be so focused on perfecting her next dish that she would ignore him until everything was exactly the way she liked it. She found him too relaxed, and he found her too uptight.

They saw each other less too, after he opened his first fine dining restaurant, _Scarlet_. At first she missed him only two nights a week, but his shifts started piling up and soon she only saw him three times a week. And if it wasn't him that was busy, it was her. Hisako was not acting as her personal assistant, as the medicinal chef was studying in China for her PhD, and Erina found herself buried with more work, especially around the times that Tōtsuki would be holding exams. Despite having looked forward to the days when they would be home together before, Erina began to dread the days when she didn't have to go into work.

But she realized that it had to end when she finally ate his cooking one day, and thought that _it was no longer delicious_. It was well known that Erina never gave Sōma the time of day by outright telling him that his food was delicious, despite the fact that he had been one of the few chefs who was able to satisfy her God's Tongue. But somewhere along the line, Sōma's cooking began tasting bland on her tongue, regardless of how long he marinated the meat or seasoned the vegetables. It was as if she could no longer taste his cooking. And Sōma didn't have the drive to cook for her anymore either. Perhaps it was partially her fault that he had lost the spark in his eyes when he cooked for her, since she "criticized" him less and less, but at the same time he made no effort to reignite the passion that had driven him to chase after her for the past few years.

When Erina finally told Sōma that she thought that they should separate, he did not fight her on her decision.

" _Alright."_

That was all he said. And Erina left that very night.

When Senzaemon noticed Erina's long period of silence, he took the newspaper from Erina's hands. "I imagine that you are quite stressed from this whole situation, so I would recommend that you take time away from work and recover from this ordeal. I personally would like it if you remove yourself from work completely, but if you must continue working perhaps it would be best to just take on tasting jobs for now and leave the rest aside."

"But the Autumn elections are coming up!" Erina protested. "And I still need to overlook _Lumiere_!"

"I have already asked Dōjima to take your place overseeing the Autumn elections and Hayama-kun has agreed to take on your other Tōtsuki duties until you have recuperated. As for _Lumiere_ , Alice and Kurokiba-kun will be flying in from Denmark tomorrow to take over your responsibilities," Senzaemon assured her.

 _Oh hell no._

"Alice _cannot_ overlook _Lumiere_!" Erina cried. She knew of her cousin's whimsical nature and proclivity for fun and entertainment. Surely _Lumiere_ would be driven to the ground under Alice's management! As for Ryo, he was no better unless he was cooking, seeing as how he obediently carried out Alice's orders without a second thought.

"Have faith in Alice's abilities." Senzaemon said calmly as if he had read her mind. "Has she ever let you down?"

Erina was tempted to recall the disaster that was the first day of the Moon Banquet Festival in their first year, or the total state of disarray that the cabin the Elite Ten sold yakisoba was in even on the third day of the year two exams, but she chose to keep her mouth shut. Even if Alice had rough starts, she did manage to get things done… _a few days later_.

"Very well. I will do my best to recuperate so that I will be able to resume my responsibilities as soon as I can," Erina conceded. "Now, may I be excused so that I can start planning out my recovery?"

Senzaemon gave her a small nod and Erina left the room. The former Tōtsuki headmaster watched as she retreated, before settling back into his seat.

"I wonder if you've given up, Yukihira Sōma."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : Hello everyone. I received a lot of support and kind words after posting the very first chapter, so I'm very happy that it was well received. Thank you all kindly for liking/subscribing/reviewing. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well. For those who left me reviews, I want to respond to everyone but unfortunately there are many reviews and if I replied to every single one of them in this author's note, it would be a huge chunk. I hope you understand if I don't reply to them, but I assure you that I've read each and every one of them and they make me tremendously happy. Thank you!

As always please read and review! It will let me know your thoughts and what direction to take the story.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Shokugeki no Soma or any of its characters

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" **There ain't no way you can hold on to something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it."**

― Kate DiCamillo **,** Because of Winn **-** Dixie

* * *

Anyone who knew the name Tsukasa Eishi also knew the name Kobayashi Rindō. The pair had been joined together at the hip since their first year as Tōtsuki students. Ever since they made their "pact" to be the first and second seats of the Elite Ten, they had been inseparable and it was almost impossible to find one without the other near them.

They had disagreements, as friends do, but Rindō was carefree and Eishi was forgiving so they always made up almost immediately after each argument. So when they hadn't talked or seen each other for two whole years after a particularly nasty spat, Rindō knew that at least one of them messed up very, very badly.

Despite being being stubbornly ambitious about his cooking and career-driven, Tsukasa Eishi was a kind and caring, and was attentive not only to himself, but also to other people who were important him. Rindō knew that side of him well. That was why she was livid when Eishi told her that he was going to start letting certain people back into his life.

" _They're only going to hurt you,"_ she had warned him. " _You're going to be used!"_

" _I've grown up. Stop trying to hold me back, Rind_ _ō_ _,"_ he had replied. She had heard the annoyance in his voice.

Rindō was pissed when she heard that. She had never held him back. In the matter of fact, she had let him do whatever he wanted against her better judgment on numerous occasions ( _ahem, the Azami administration and Central!_ ), and those had turned out to be utter disasters. She just wanted him to be happy. She wanted to see him smile in the carefree way he used to do before they had to deal with Elite Ten business, fame, and societal pressures.

" _Well, so-rry for holding you back then! Go do whatever the hell you want, Tsukasa, see if I care! You're an adult now, so go take care of yourself! Don't bother me when the flowers are too red and the napkins are placed one degree off, because I'm not helping you again!"_

" _I- well, fine. I won't then."_

That was the last time she heard from him, and two years passed without a single word exchanged between them. There were dozens of times when she wanted to call him again and tell him that they should work things out, but Rindō was too proud for that.

But no matter how much pride she had or how much fun she sought out, Rindō still felt empty when she returned home and realized that she couldn't call Eishi up to tell him what mischief she had been up to. So when she decided to open a pop-up restaurant in Japan, she sent him an invitation.

He would come… right?

* * *

Despite being only 27 years old, Eishi was already the owner and head chef of _La_ _Sérénade_ , a Michelin 3-star restaurant based in Lyon, France. He had already been well known since he was a student at Tōtsuki, but his reputation had skyrocketed since the opening of his flagship restaurant. He was as famous as Nakiri Erina was infamous; there was not a single aspiring chef who didn't know the name of the _White Knight of the Table_.

But no matter how delicious his cooking was, a strange phenomena had been occuring at his restaurant for the past few months. Many of his patrons had been leaving the restaurant in tears. Despite praising the exquisite taste of their carefully cooked meals, the diners wordlessly paid for their meals and left his restaurant with somber eyes. After the first case of waterworks at the dinner table, Eishi took pains to ensure that it would not occur again. He changed the lighting and the colors of the tablecloths. He ordered new cutlery and glassware, and renovated the establishment overnight. He changed the seasonal menus and the flowers decorating the tables. He personally overlooked his staff, from the chefs in the kitchen to the hosts at the front.

Unfortunately, the diners continued to cry night after night. The problem became so severe that the Michelin board did a re-evaluation of his restaurant.

Though he expected to lose his stars, the Michelin reviewer held his hands and assured him that no, everything was fine (while crying as well).

Then what was the problem? Eishi couldn't understand. Fortunately, his connections at Tōtsuki were always willing to help. After consulting the problem personally with Senzaemon over the phone, the former Tōtsuki headmaster sent one of his trusted food critics to help him identify the problem.

What Eishi did not expect was for Nakiri Erina to arrive at his restaurant in Lyon herself, with her usual haughty scowl on her lips.

"N… Nakiri-san, I welcome you on behalf of _La_ _Sérénade_ ," Eishi stammered out his greetings. He hadn't seen her since they both participated in the BLUE contest together, and even then he had not been able to face her properly after she and Sōma defeated him and Rindō during their Régiment de Cuisine. Apart from the defeat, it wasn't a particularly easy task to avoid hostility from the person whose life he nearly ruined again with her father.

"It's been a while, Tsukasa-senpai," Erina replied with her usual grace. Much to his surprise, she didn't address him with disdain, but rather with respect and proper formality. "I hear that you've been having some difficulties lately." She stepped into the empty restaurant and gave entrance a once-over before glancing at the dining area. "I don't believe that the interior design is the cause."

Eishi closed the front door behind her and locked it in case somebody else wandered into the restaurant. "I wish the cause was the interior design," he sighed. "At least it would be easier to figure things out."

Erina smiled reassuringly. "Regardless of the problem, I will definitely help you identify it by the end of today," the Nakiri heiress declared without a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Eishi couldn't help but look at her in awe. He had always admired that quality she possessed; he was insecure when cooking wasn't involved and he couldn't help but appreciate the confidence that other people exhibited when he himself could not.

He led her to the kitchen where the delicious scent of roasting duck wafted from one of the ovens. "Unfortunately there are far too many dishes that have been served over the past few weeks for me to be able to cook them all for you, but the duck confit has been in high demand so I figured that it would be the best representative of my cooking right now," he explained. "It will be done cooking soon so would you like a drink to go with the food?"

"I saw a bottle of Maridan earlier when we passed by the bar," Erina said, looking at the immaculately clean kitchen with keen eyes. Eishi was about to leave the kitchen to retrieve it himself, but Erina held up her hand to stop him. "I'll get it. A good chef should not leave the kitchen while food is still in the oven."

Eishi hesitated but the timer he had set started blaring, pushing aside any thoughts of assisting Erina. He figured that the God's Tongue shouldn't have any trouble picking out the best wine to go with her meal.

When Erina returned from the bar with the bottle of wine she had carefully picked out, the duck confit Eishi had prepared rested atop the counter. The duck drumstick glistened with fat from next to a salad made from green soybean sprouts and sliced orange cherry tomatoes. It rested atop a series of circles drawn with a sauce with a mild citrus scent.

Eishi pulled out a chair for Erina and retrieved a wine glass. "It's been a while since I cooked anything for you," he said, absentmindedly thinking back to their days at Tōtsuki. He still remembered approaching Erina after an Elite Ten meeting and asking her to taste his next recipe. That day she had pointed out 26 different flaws in his recipe, which had made him cower in the corner for a good half hour before Rindō found him and laughed hysterically when he told her how the God Tongue had picked out every single little detail of his dish.

 _Rindō…_ Eishi remembered the mirth in her amber eyes, but the last time he had saw her there was nothing but anger. Was she still cheerfully laughing now?

"You're going to spill the wine," Erina said, pulling Eishi out of his thoughts. Eishi quickly tilted the wine bottle up, narrowly escaping an accident.

"Sorry," Eishi blushed. "I just-"

Erina frowned. "You will be ruined if you are always this careless in the kitchen, Tsukasa-senpai." She picked up the fork and knife he had laid out next to the dish and began to cut into it. The duck skin let out a satisfying crunch as the blade sank through it. Though her sense of smell was not as polished as Hayama Akira's, she could make out the scent of lemon and thyme.

The moment the duck touched her tongue, she felt herself transported onto a picnic blanket next to a crystal clear lake.

 _Small, cute, plump ducks played in the water as she admired them from her seat._

" _The weather is lovely," Erina sighed, raising her hand over her eyes to block them from the sunlight._

 _There was a shuffle next to her, and a head full of red hair entered her peripheral vision. "See? I told you that it's a great day to go out!" A certain golden-eyed male grinned cheekily at her. "This definitely beats cooping yourself up inside and reading shōjo manga all day long!"_

 _Erina pouted. "I wanted to see if Akira would realize her feelings for Makoto!" She brought her hand down to properly face him. "Also, didn't you- huh?" Her eyes widened as she realized that the person she had been talking to was gone. "Where are you?"_

 _The blonde looked around, but the redhead was nowhere to be found._

 _Oh._

"Nakiri-san?" Eishi called gently. Erina had frozen up in her seat after she had taken the first bite, and her amethyst eyes gazed blankly into the distance. The Nakiri blinked.

It had been a month since she last saw him; she should be over him by now but her chest ached when she looked at Eishi and saw that it wasn't _him_.

Eishi smiled nervously. "You seem… thoughtful."

"I get it," Erina said.

Eishi tilted his head to the side. "Get… _what_?"

"The cause of the waterworks in your restaurant," Erina scowled. "Have you ever heard of the book _Because of Winn-Dixie_?"

Eishi thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "That book about the dog? It was a touching book but what does that have to do with anything?"

"When the characters in the book eat the candy- the Littmus Lozenges- they taste sorrow and think of their own sadness," Erina explained. "The person who created that candy used his sorrow as a key ingredient." She held up a finger when Eishi opened his mouth to protest. "It's true that the book and candy is fictional, but I don't think this theory is impossible since chefs can convey their feelings through their cooking. For example, they say that mother's cooking tastes the best because of the love they convey through their cooking. I don't think you should outrule your emotions as the cause right off the bat."

"So you're saying… I'm transferring my sadness into my cooking?" Eishi asked skeptically.

Erina nodded, her golden tresses bouncing with the motion. "Assuming that this is the case, we should be able to identify the cause of this dilemma. Is there any particular reason you are upset?"

Eishi furrowed his brows. "No… none that I can think of."

"Maybe something is unconsciously bothering you," Erina said, crossing her arms over her chest. "If I remember correctly, this problem arose two months ago. Did anything happen back then?"

There was a moment of silence as Eishi struggled to recall anything that could have been particularly upsetting. Cooking, attending conferences, catering, and…

"Well… I did receive an invitation, but…" he mumbled.

"Invitation?" Erina asked.

Eishi let out a sigh. "Rindō is returning to Japan for the opening of her pop-up restaurant, and I received an invitation for the Elite Ten reunion dinner she's hosting there on the final night," he explained.

"I received an invitation for that as well," Erina realized. "But why would that be upsetting for you? I recall that you and Kobayashi-senpai were on good terms."

Eishi awkwardly shifted his gaze to the floor. "Well… we had a falling out a few years ago and I've been debating on whether I should go to see her or not. The reunion is only two weeks away and I still haven't decided anything." He sighed again. "I want to go back to how we used to be, but at the same time it's hard for me to just see her again after what happened."

"Tsukasa-senpai, do you still have the invitation?" Erina asked. When he nodded, she extended out her hand to him. "Give it to me please," she commanded.

Confused, Eishi took his phone from his pocket and unlocked it. He dug through his email for the invitation and handed it to her. Erina quickly scanned through the email before pressing on something.

"There. I've confirmed that you're going," the blonde said, tossing the phone back into Eishi's hands.

Eishi's face paled. "W-w-what?" He stammered. "Why did you do that?"

"You're obviously upset about not seeing Kobayashi-senpai," Erina replied. "And I am not one to leave things half done, so I'll attend the reunion dinner with you to see things through. If you have complaints, think of it as petty revenge for trying to help my father back in the days." She smirked, a wicked glint in her eyes.

Eishi shuddered. "A-alright..." he mumbled, his shoulders slacking in defeat.

"Well, my business here is done for today," Erina said, rising from her seat. "I will contact you later regarding the reunion dinner."

Eishi escorted her to the front of the restaurant. "Nakiri-san?"

"Hm?" Erina replied as she fiddled with her coat zipper.

"When you ate the confit... did you feel any sadness?" Eishi asked.

Erina's lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't let emotions interfere with work," she replied coldly before throwing open the front door and leaving.

Eishi stared after her, even as the door shut itself with a muted click. "But that doesn't answer anything, Nakiri-san..."


End file.
